Harry Potter and the League of the Phoenix
by Guardian of the crest
Summary: Voldermort was revived during the Tri-Wizard tournament, and now those who stand against him are asking the League for help. But will their best chance to stop the Dark Lord agree to teach at Hogwarts and leave Gotham behind? BM/WW
1. A Plea for Help

Gotc:…..

Ace: Oh…my…God…. You're doing it again.

Gotc: So I had an idea, so what?

Ace: This is story number 12. You have…what four of em' finished?

Gotc: So not the point. Anyway, I have another HP X-over going at the moment, when I went looking for a JL X HP story….well, what I found was sorely lacking.

Ace: And here we are.

Gotc: Oh shut up. You're not even in this one.

Ace: Yeah right I'm- wait….Say that again.

Gotc: You're not in this story-

Ace: YYYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M FREE AT LAST!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FREEDOM!!!!!!

Gotc: Knock it off and get back to your other stories. If you haven't guessed, this is gonna be a Justice League/ Harry Potter story, as well as a BM/WW thrown in here. For now, I'm only going to post the first chapter, and depending on if enough people out there like it, I'll write more. SO REMEMBER TO REVIEW!!! Now on to the disclaimer portion of this ramble. Squeaky!!!!

Squeaky the Whale: Squeak! (Translation: Gotc owns no characters in this fic, and JK Rowling has a copyright on most of the plot too. But you should still enjoy it anyway!)

Gotc: Yes they should. And remember, if you like it PLEASE REVIEW!!!

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_Harry Potter and the League of the Phoenix_

CHAPTER 1: A Plea for Help

Zatanna Zatara was a world-renowned magician. She had shows booked solid from coast to coast of the United States, from Vegas to New York, and across the globe in glittering Paris and majestic Greece. But as a member of the even more well-know Justice League, her talents in the mystical arts were more than put to the test, time and time again.

"Ugh," Zatanna groaned flopping into an open chair in the Monitor Womb after being transported back to the League's orbiting Watchtower.

Herself, Flash, Green Lantern, the brothers Hawk and Dove and Super Girl had been assigned with helping with damage control in the aftermath of a massive earthquake in Guatemala. Their once colorful costumes were ripped and covered with a thin layer of soot and grime, making them look more like vagabonds rather than superheroes.

"I don't know about you all, but I need a hot bath in about the worst way possible." She sighed, quickly typing in a report into the Watchtower's mainframe.

"Tell me about it," Kara groaned, wiping her hand across her soot streaked forehead, "Who's on monitor duty next?"

"Plastic Man," Lantern answered, glancing over at the schedule, "Which means Batman will be down here to supervise at any moment."

"No thank you," Zatanna said, rising from her chair faster that she would have guessed herself capable of, "I've already had to deal with the aftermath of one natural disaster today; I'm not looking for two. I'll see you all later."

Zatanna didn't wait around for her dismissal. Flash had already zipped to the cafeteria for some much needed food, which didn't sound like such a bad idea. But first she wanted to be clean.

Her room was among those used for the Leaguers that spent most of their free-time on the Watchtower. Her connections to the magical communities had been invaluable to the League, and because of it she had found herself being contacted at home for something or other almost every hour of the day. It was just easier to make the move to the Watchtower, where she was only just down the hall if they needed her help with a case.

Stepping in front of her door, Zatanna quickly punched in her acsess code, and the door slid open with a hiss of compressed air. Gratefully, stepped into the darkened room and flopped unceremoniously into a chair at her vanity, where she pulled off her top hat and massaged her scalp. As she glanced into her mirror to see just how terrible she really looked, she became instantly aware of another presence in her room. A magical presence.

She spun out of her chair, the incantation to attack her unwanted visitor already on her lips, when and old man stepped out of the shadows. Zatanna had been expecting Tala, or some other member of Luthor's disbanded super villain club, not the wizened old man with half moon spectacles and bright purple robes that now stood towering over her.

"Dumbledore!" She exclaimed partly in surprise and relief, "I almost turned you into a charred spot on the wall!"

"I am sorry my dear Zatanna," The old man appologized, "But it had taken us months to find you and it is of the gravest importance that I speak with you immediately."

"Sure," Zatanna shrugged, sitting back down, "But one day you'll have to tell me how you managed to apparate into space."

A thin smile crept over Dumbledore's lips, before fading to an impassive look of worry and concern.

"Tell me," He began, "Do you remember the Dark Wizard Voldermort?"

"Of course," Zatanna nodded, "But didn't he die like….what? Fourteen years ago? I read something about it I thought, or lack of something I guess. I don't hear about innocent people just blowing up in the middle of the streets anymore."

"Yes," Dumbledore sighed, "He was indeed defeated, and by a boy by the name of Harry Potter, who now is a student at Hogwarts."

There was an uncomfortable pause in Dumbledore's voice, before he took a deep breath and continued.

"Unfortunatly, I have reason to believe," He said, "That Lord Voldermort once again walks among us."

"That's impossible." Zatanna shook her head, "Necromancy may be able to bring people back from the dead, but it can't bring them back the way they were before they died. Even if some ex-Death Eater did manage to rouse Voldermort's spirit from the grave, he'd be nothing more than a mindless inferi."

"That would be true….if Harry had actually managed to kill Voldermort."

Zatanna's eyes widened with realization, and she slumped back into her chair as a wave of dispair washed over her. Bringing someone back from the dead was impossible, but it was not beyond magic to restore a spirit to a body.

"Have you called the Order?" She asked, running through the possible options, "Informed the Ministry? Sent letters to parents-"

"I am doing all I can," Dumbledore assured her, "The Order has already assembled, but the Ministry is doing all it can to discredit this information."

"WHAT!?" Zatanna yelled, leaping out of her chair, "Are they insane?! Why would they think this was just some idiotic rumor, and especially since it's you who's told them?!"

"That's precisely why the Minister is working hard to discredit any information about Voldermort's return," Dumbledore sighed, "He feels I am trying to take the Ministry from him."

Zatanna rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration, shaking her head, and muttering something in utter disgust. She looked out the window at Earth spinning serenely below, unaware that a war was about to erupt again on it's surface. It never ceased to amaze her how something could look so peaceful and beautiful from here, but be such a mess once you were actually standing on the surface.

"So why have you come to me?" She asked, "There are hundreds of other magic users you could have told about this that would be in a better position to help take out Voldermort."

"I'm afraid it's not that easy," He said, "Voldermort already has his claws in the Ministry, and we believe is searching for something that will tip the balance of power in his favor. We just don't know what he's after. And on top of that, the Ministry is forcing my hand with the hiring of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Are you familiar with Delores Umbridge?"

"Ugh, that toad?" Zatanna cringed, " She's going to be teaching?"

"Unfortunately. However, I was hoping to hire another teacher to help balance the Ministry's…'teachings'"

"Sorry Albus," Zatanna shook her head, "If it's a detective you're looking for, you've come to the wrong place…."

Her voice trailed off as an idea hit her. It was a longshot, but he was the best chance they had of finding out what Voldermort was planning before he could cause any damage.

"But if it's help you need, I do have someone in mind who might be able to help you," She grinned, "I'll send you a message with all of the information within the next day."

A faint smile came to Dumbledore's eyes, as he reached out to Zatanna in thanks. He nodded once, before vanishing from the room with a "crack".

Zatanna looked at the spot where he stood for a moment before whirling around to the mirror.

"What were you thinking?!" She yelled at her reflection, "How in Hades are you going to convince Batman to do this?!?!"

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Gotc: you like? I hope so. Like I said before, if I get a good response from this, I'll keep it going. So send me those reviews and tell me what you think!!!!!


	2. Stubborn as a Bat

Gotc: Wow…nice turn out. Ok, I think the idea has enough merit to continue on then.

Ace: That's a first.

Gotc: You can't even be nice in a story you have no part in?

Ace: Not a chance.

Gotc: You're hopeless. Anyway, many thanks to all who reviewed last chappie, and I look forward to hearing what you all think of this fic as it progresses onward! As you all know there will be much BMWW stuffage in this fic, but as for any romances on the HP side of the story, I really haven't decided on that yet. Now, let's get started. SQUEAKY!

Squeaky: Squeak! (Everyone's favorite superheroes belong to DC Comics and their respective creators, any one with a wand is in the employ of J.K. Rowling. No ownage here.)

Gotc: Well put. Now onward to the fic!

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_Harry Potter and the League of the Pheonix_

CHAPTER 2: Stubborn as a Bat

Talking to a mirror for almost an hour, reciting every word of a flimsy excuse to get the Dark Knight's support on this plan was hardly as effective as Zatana had been hoping for. She could just picture the glare he would give her at the mere thought of leaving Gotham for nine months to go undercover amongst a group of wizards-in-training. Maybe she would think of a better argument on the way.

She let out a sigh, before running a wire brush through her hair and replacing her top hat. One more glance in the mirror confirmed she still looked frazzled, but he liked his room dark, so maybe he wouldn't notice how much of a wreck she looked.

"_Who are you kidding? THE Batman not notice? Maybe the day it starts snowing in the pits of Hades…"_ Zatana mentally chided herself.

Still, the impending conversation couldn't be avoided. Batman was Dumbledore's best chance at discovering what Voldermort was up to. He hadn't earned the title of the World's Greatest Detective for nothing, although Question could run a close second. But they needed answers, not far-flung theories, and so Zatana walked out of her room and purposefully towards Batman's lair away from home.

---

When his room turned out to be empty, Zatana had to admit she was slightly relieved not to have to face the Dark Knight so soon. But when the Monitor Womb, training room, meeting hall and galley turned up empty, she began to get impatient. She'd had the forethought to check the Watchtower's transportation logs and according to them, Batman was supposedly still somewhere on the space station. Where though, was anyone's guess.

Defeated for the moment, both by disappointment and her rumbling stomach, Zatana flopped into an open table in the Watchtower's galley with a plate of warmed-over pasta. Leftovers were hardly her favorite, especially since the plate in front of her had been leached of all taste by the cold storage the League kept their food in. The vacuum of deep space wasn't exactly the best option when storing ready-to-eat-meals. The squishy noodles did little to satiate her hunger, but they did give her something to chew on while she mulled over her situation.

Batman hardly did things out of charity, Bruce Wayne maybe, but they needed the mind and not the bloated ego. Convincing him to leave Gotham while Luthor and half of the world's most dangerous villains were still at large, even in her mind, was next to impossible. Sure, Voldermort to her was a huge deal, but how did she explain that to a man who was firm in the belief of 'Science over Sorcery'?

"A miracle…" Zatana sighed to herself, popping another noodle in her mouth, "A God-sent miracle…"

"What's a miracle?"

Zatana's head snapped up and out of her own thoughts to the dark haired woman standing before her, with a tray in hand. Even if she had been wearing something other than her patriotic outfit, lasso and tiara, Zatana would have been able to spot the Amazon in the middle of a crowded room.

"Diana!" She said waving her hand at the open seat in front of her, "I didn't even notice you! I swear, Batman must be rubbing off on you. Sit!"

"I guess that's what happens when you spend so much time around someone," Diana chuckled good-naturedly, "Speaking of time, I've been so busy I haven't seen much of you. How are things? You seemed really distracted."

"It's nothing really. It must just be the stress. It's not like I've had much free time to myself these days," Zatana said, "I've found a new assistant for my shows, given I ever have a chance to do any of them. He's a nice guy though, and we've been on a few dates."

"That must be nice," Diana said causally taking a drink, and looking out one of the observation windows.

"You know me," Zatana joked, "I like 'em tall, dark and handsome. Speaking of which, how are things going with Bruce? Anything I should know about?"

Diana sighed and shook her head sadly.

"There's a ten-foot wall around him," the Amazon Princess said, lazily stirring her water with one finger, "And every time you think you've found a way through it, he just adds on another foot. I've tried everything in those self-help magazines that tell you how to deal with difficult men, but I'd bet anything they'd never worked with anyone like Batman."

Zatana had to cough several times to keep from choking one a particularly large piece of pasta, as Diana's words registered in her fogged up mind.

"Self-help magazines?" Zatana asked incredulously, trying hard not to laugh, "You wouldn't be reading 'Cosmo' by any chance would you?"

"Is that bad? Shayera said they knew everything I needed to know…"

The thought of someone from 'Cosmo" trying to crack the man that made up Batman was just too much for her resolve. It took a minute for her to regain her composure, and apologize to the confused princess.

"I'm sorry Diana," Zatana apologized wiping the tears out of her eyes, "But just try and picture Bruce actually sitting down with one of those surveys, cape, cowl and all."

The reaction was instant, and the mental image sent both heroines into another fit of laughter.

"Can you imagine the look he would have on his face!"

"I'm just glad he's not physic!" Zatana agreed, "But in all honesty, he's still a man and they all have a weakness."

"Any tips then?" Diana asked, "You used to date him right?"

"For a while. And like I said, Bruce is still just a man, and they're all little kids at heart," Zatana said leaning in closer, "Stubborn as a mule, but always in need of attention. You staying after him about a relationship is giving him the attention he's looking for, but if you start to ignore him and walk away, then he'll….have to start…. following…. you.."

Zatana looked up at the answer to her own dilemma with the Dark Knight with an expression of absolute joy, as the idea formed in her mind.

"That's It!" She exclaimed, jumping out of her chair and pulling Diana behind her.

"What is?" Diana asked, more than a little confused.

"Look, you want Bruce to chase after you right?" Zatana said piecing her story together, "Well, I have a good friend in the magical community who has more than a big problem. A Dark Wizard by the name of Voldermort apparently has come back to power, and is looking for some kind of weapon to help him take the wizarding world by force. Batman is the best hope we have at finding out just what he's after before he can get his hands on it, and the best cover for him is as a teacher at a wizarding school."

"Batman will never agree to that!"

"What about you?"

"If they truly needed my help, then of course I would-"

Diana cut off, as she realized just what Zatana was proposing. She wanted to say that it would never work, but as it ran through her mind, it suddenly seemed like a real possibility.

"These people really need help," Zatana added, "Having two members of the League on their side can only improve their odds."

"Why don't you do it?"

"I'm too well known in the magical community. I couldn't hide my identity. But you and Bruce? No one would even know you existed until the first of the term."

Diana was silent for a moment more, mulling the whole situation over in her head. The hero in her knew she had to do whatever she could to help whoever needed it, but another part of her wanted to do this for more reasons than professional ones. Her sapphire eyes looked at Zatana with scrutiny, before a devious smile spread across her lips.

"Where do I sign up?"

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Gotc: Well? Good so far? Thing will start to pick up next chapter once Batman catches wind of our heroines' plot. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review and give me that wonderful feedback! Laters!


	3. Let the War Begin

Gotc: Here we are, chapter 3 and rolling right along.

Ace: You've been at you're ocmputer for six and a half hours now. You know that right?

Gotc: Time well spent my friend, time well spent. Besides, I need to get in all the posting I can before college starts.

Ace: Yes, heaven forbid you actually do something else with your life…

Gotc: Now you get it. So let's get onot the disclaimer while we're still young and free. SQUEAKY!

Squeaky: Squeak! (Heroes go to D.C., wizards to J.K. Plot to Gotc.)

Gotc: And readers to the fic! Have fun!

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_Harry Potter and the League of the Phoenix _

CHAPTER 3: Let the War Begin

The since the invasion of Thanagar, and the addition of dozens of heroes to the League's rosters, it had been necessary to commission over twenty Javelins for when teleportation wasn't possible or feasible. So it was only natural that occasionally, something would happen while on a mission that would damage one of the Leagues high powered jets. And since the design was Batman's, naturally he was the one called in to make the repairs. Normally, he didn't mind. Damage was usually minor, and it was only one Javelin at a time. Not. Five.

His cape and cowl were no longer black, but a smeary grey and he looked like he had traded in his cowl for a full face mask due to the grime that adorned his face. All of this was the result from repairing an electrical problem and a severed fuel line in the belly of Javelin 9. Flash's mission. Wiping the grease from the exposed skin of his lower face, he made a mental note to pay Wally back for every second of sloppy flying that was responsible for the damage. At least that was the last plane he had to fix today. The thought of a defensive flying course crossed his mind, but was dismissed as soon as he pictured the aftermath of such a feat.

There was a small ping in his ear that signaled an incoming transmission on his com-link. Pressing one finger to his covered ear, he tapped the device to listen to whoever was on the other end.

"Batman," The Dark Knight acknowledged.

"Bruce," Superman's voice came through on the other end, "Did you authorize a nine month covert mission?"

"No, I've been in the Javelin repair bay most of the day," He replied, "This is the first I've heard about any covert mission. How did you find out about it?"

"I was checking the League's mission statuses to see if Diana was available for a diplomatic mission to Kasnia since she knows Queen Audrey better than any of us, but her status was inactive with a total contact restriction," Superman explained, "I hadn't heard Diana was leaving the League, so I assumed she was on a covert mission."

"Was there anyone else with a similar status?" Batman asked, quickening his pace as he headed for the bay doors, "League protocol says there should be two members on a mission for that long of time period."

"No," Superman said after a brief pause, "Not that I can see, that's why I thought maybe she came to you for some kind of clearance."

"Is Wonder Woman still on the Watchtower?" Batman almost barked into his communicator.

"Travel logs show she hasn't used the teleporter or one of the Javelins."

"Good," Batman said, storming out of the Javelin bay with his cape billowing out behind him, "Make sure it stays that way."

-----

"You know he's going to be furious, right?" Diana said, pulling a couple more articles of clothing out of her closet and tossing them to Zatana.

"That's the plan." The Magician said folding a shirt into a waiting suitcase.

"Make the Batman mad," Diana rolled her eyes, "Why don't I just go stick my arm into a bear trap while I'm at it?"

"Oh come on," Zatana scoffed, "It won't be that bad!"

As if on cue, there was a loud banging on the door, accompanied by a the voice of a very upset Batman.

"DIANA!" Batman roared at the closed door, "We need to talk."

"I'm a little busy right now," The Amazon Princess called sweetly, "I'll have to talk to you later."

There was a strained silence on the other side of the door for a few moments. The two heroines exchanged confused glances, as each pictured a seething Batman standing just outside the door exuding a dark aura that would scare even the bravest of the League's heroes. Then there was a sudden hiss of compressed air, as the door flew open to reveal the Dark Knight standing in the doorway with the most enraged Bat-glare in the history of the Justice League.

"We're talking now." He growled, taking a few menacing steps into her room.

The thought that Bruce was actually in her room crossed Diana's mind, causing her heart to skip a beat but she quickly pushed it aside, determined not to let him the effect he had on her. Instead, she turned her attention to the doorframe next to him, where the control panel for her door swung limply by a few stray wires that had escaped the Batman's wrath.

"You know," She said nonchalantly, going back to her packing, "I'm fairly certain this could be counted as Breaking and Entering."

"My money, my Tower," Batman said, "And you're changing the subject. Superman just informed me that you've been listed as inactive for the next nine months. Care to explain?"

"Explain what?" Diana asked placing her hands on her hips, "I'm doing a favor for Zatana. She needed an insider for a case she's working and I'm going to be teaching at a boarding school outside of London as a cover."

Batman cast a glare to Zatana who was sitting on the bed behind Diana that plainly said "Once I talk her out of this, you're next.". Diana saw his gaze shift, and made the subtle move to step between the two to recapture his attention.

"And just what case are you working?" Batman asked, not letting up on his glare.

"There's a rumor's circulating around in the magical community about a Dark Wizard rising back to power by the name of Voldermort," Zatana explained, "We thought he had been killed almost fourteen years ago, but now we have reason to believe we weren't so lucky. And now we think he's looking for a weapon of some kind, and we need to find out what it is before he can get his hands on it."

"Why aren't people in the magical community doing anything to stop him then?" Batman asked, not taking his eyes off of Diana.

"Simple," Zatana said, "They're afraid of him. Most won't even say his name. That and the fact that the Ministry of Magic is trying to cover up his return, because they don't want to deal with the idea that a maniacal wizard is back from the grave."

"Let them bury their heads in the sand then," Batman growled, "We have other problems at the moment, or have you forgotten that half of the world's super villains are still on the loose? Not to mention Luthor-"

"Voldermort is worse than Luthor!" Zatana cut him off, "Luthor at least had some kind of a moral code. He never just went off on a killing spree, or attacked innocent people because he was in a bad mood! Yes he attacked the League, but he never hurt anyone who wasn't wearing a colored costume! Voldermort doesn't have those kind of restraints! This is a man who will torture someone out of their mind, simply because he wants to watch them writhe while he does it! And the people who follow him are just as bad, more monster than human anymore, killing because they want to watch the world burn. And now he's back and looking for a weapon that will just make his sadistic goals that much easier to reach. Now tell me, how is this not a problem to you?"

Batman didn't say anything for a moment, his hard face utterly expressionless while he let Zatana's words sink in.

"Bruce, it's our duty to help those who need it," Diana said, breaking the silence, "And if what Zatana says is true, then there are a lot of people who could use our help."

"Is Zatana going with you?" Batman asked.

"I can't," Zatana said, "I'm too well-known. If anyone knew I was working on this case, I would put the whole mission at risk."

"League protocol says there must be two members present in a covert mission," Batman said cooly.

"The fewer that know what's going on, the better," Diana said, zipping her bag closed, "If this madman found out the League was interfering, it could make the situation escalate."

"I don't care. That protocol was put in for a reason!" Batman said anger creeping into his normally expressionless voice, "If you _are_ discovered, you have a better chance of actually escaping alive if you have someone to back you up!"

"I can handle myself Batman," Diana said defiantly.

"It's still dangerous!"

"Fine then," She huffed, grabbing her bag and walking out of the room with Zatana, "If you're so concerned about my wellbeing, then why don't you take the other slot and come with me? Then you can keep a close eye on me and 'rescue me if I get into trouble'."

"Fine," Batman huffed, "I'll clear it with J'onn and meet you in the Javelin Bay."

"I'm leaving in an hour to meet with the headmaster of the school I'll be teaching at. Maybe if you're lucky, he'll have an opening for a janitor or something." Diana smirked, looking back before strutting out of view, "I'll see you then."

Batman glared after her for a long moment, silently furious that she had been about to run off on her own on such a dangerous mission. Trying to calm down, he ran through a mental list of things he needed to prepare before he left for so long. He needed to get Nightwing to come back to Gotham to take over his patrol, maybe get Kent to make an appearance as Batman every now and again. He'd need some clothes, and maybe some equipment. Tell Alfred to make a cover story for Wayne Tech…

Batman snapped out of his thought process as he heard something like a triumphant laugh coming from around the same corner Diana and Zatana had just disappeared around. Suddenly, he had the strangest feeling he'd walked right into a carefully planned trap. Even so, he couldn't help a thin smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth. He had to give Diana some credit, she was more clever than he thought, but if she thought that she had captured the Dark Knight so easily, she was going to be in for a big surprise.

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Gotc: Ok, well with Christmas coming up and college soon to follow, I'm not sure how regular I'm going to be able to be……Then again, I may just write during my boring classes…..ok so maybe this won't be a problem after all. Anyway, be sure to keep those reviews comin' and I'll be sure to keep providing good, wholesome *cough cough* entertainment! See you all real soon!


	4. In the Chill of the Night

Gotc: Sorry everyone….I was grounded for the last two weeks, hence the delay in adding this chappie.

Ace: I told you to do your laundry….Would a couple of loads really killed you?

Gotc: When was the last time you washed your jacket huh?

Ace: Not the point.

Gotc: Sorry…..I wasn't aware of just how perfect you could be….Not. Anyway, I think you all have waited long enough for this, so let's quit the pointless stream of babble and move on to our chapter! Squeaky!!!!

Squeaky: Squeak! (Long time no see everyone! You all know the drill, nothing owned here but miniscule bits of the plot!)

Gotc: That's right! So no suing. And with that, I leave you to the chappie! Laters!

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_Harry Potter and the League of the Phoenix_

CHAPTER 4: In the Chill of the Night

All over the city, newscasters, radio talk show hosts, and any one else in the public eye were the only ones unfortunate enough to have to perform some sort of function related to actual activity in the blistering European heat. Yellowed and dying lawns had become the new fashion in Little Whinging, while once brightly polished cars now collected the dust that seemed to blow in on the nonexistent breeze. The summer heat had at last driven the normally nosey and intrusive residents of Privet Drive, back to the welcoming shade of their own homes. Not even the moving van and sleek limousine parked outside the recently purchased house across the street was enough to coax them from what little sanctuary they had found from the heat.

But amongst a lot of dying begonias that had nearly been obscured by the jungle of weeds overtaking the flowerbed, was a skinny teenage boy watching the movers cart furniture into the house with curious green eyes. He looked as if his arms and legs had grown far too fast for the rest of his body Messy black hair stuck to his forehead from the sweat that continued to bead there, while a pair of glassed sat perched on the bridge of his nose as he lay on the hot earth. His clothes hung on his lean frame in loose folds, since they were almost two sizes too large for his stature.

It was that very appearance that had earned the teen the stigma of "That ruffian" amongst his fellow neighbors of Privet Drive. However, within his own circle of influence, they had another name for Harry Potter. To the inhabitants of the wizarding world, he was "The Boy Who Lived". More than once he'd encountered the wizard responsible for his namesake, each time barely escaping with his life. He'd fought trolls, dementors, Dark Wizards, and lived in a world secret from the rest of mankind, but he remained completely unaware that the couple climbing out of the limo across the street were anything but what they seemed.

The first to emerge from the car, was a man at least six inches taller than himself. Sandy brown hair adorned the top of his head, while the thin yellow highlights were illuminated in the fading summer sun. He wore a well-tailored suit, despite the heat, that did little to hide the muscular stature Harry guessed must be underneath.

The first thing the man did as he climbed out of the car, was take a quick glance around the neighborhood. His head moved no more than and inch in either direction, and had Harry not been watching him so closely, he would have missed it. But the man didn't have long to look before a woman's voice drifted on the hot, stale air, and he ducked his head back into the limo. When he reemerged, he had another arm wrapped around his own, as he helped what could only be described as a goddess from the interior.

Blonde hair that made the sun's golden rays look pale, cascaded down her back and across her shoulders in elegant ripples. Unlike her companion, she wore a sleeveless blue satin dress that accentuated every curve of a perfect body. She slid from the car with absolute grace, as if every step she took had been flawlessly choreographed.

Only the voices of his irritable aunt and uncle pulled his attention away from the scene, and back to the reason why he had sought refuge in the flowerbed in the first place.

"Watching the news:" His uncle's voice said scathingly. "I'd like to know what he's really up to. As if a normal boy cares what's on the news -Dudley hasn't got a clue what's going on; doubt he knows who the Prime Minister is! Anyway, it's not as if there'd be anything about his lot on our news - "

"Vernon, shh!" said Aunt Petunia. "The window's open!"

"Oh - yes - sorry, dear."

Harry rolled his eyes, and flopped onto his back while he listened to the reported ramble off yet another day of blessedly uninteresting news.

Across the street, the couple continued on, without any idea there was anyone else out on the street but themselves.

"I must say Mr. Wayne," The blonde poked at her escort, "I do think you could have Wally's red hair and still manage to be utterly handsome."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Princess," The Dark Knight's voice rumbled from the unfamiliar face, "But you do look marvelous as a blonde."

"I look like my mother," Diana said pulling a few strands between her fingers to get a better look, "It's hard to get used to."

Diana looked up at Bruce as a rare chuckle escaped the alter-ego of the League's infamous emotional black hole. In two days she'd seen more reactions from the man than she had in the last few years. Then again, he'd shown quite a bit during the Thanagarian Invasion… She wrenched herself away from that train of thought. They were here for a mission, Batman would say, but she couldn't help herself from thinking about what Zatanna had said. Here she had a golden opportunity, was she really going to waste it? He was being polite, even social. He knew there were people watching and this, like the dyed hair and hazel contacts, was all a part of his disguise. Only this time, the cowl was far more subtle.

She watched Bruce embrace his foster father, before he began the long trip back to Gotham to watch over the rest of the Bat-clan. This wasn't like the Invasion. They weren't being hunted; chased, there was no element of urgency. Now, she had time to make this work. Maybe she could find a way through the defenses he worked so hard to keep. She would find a way to get through to the Bat and the man behind the mask.

"Diana? Are you coming?" Bruce called out to her, as he picked up the last of their bags.

The Amazon Princess turned to Alfred and gave the Wayne butler a firm hug before heading to the house with Bruce.

"I'll miss you Alfred," She said with a heavy sigh.

"Don't worry Miss," The old man chuckled, "Master Bruce isn't a bad cook. And besides, I have the utmost faith that you'll be able to get through to him."

Wonder Woman didn't get caught off-guard often, and she certainly hadn't been expecting if from Alfred. Then again, he'd lived with Bruce _and_ the Batman, he would have had to learned to catch those curve balls, as well as throw them back. She couldn't quite mask the smile on her face, as she left Alfred to get going and followed after Bruce.

The house was scarcely a few degrees cooler than it had been out in the sun, and the smell of warm, old carpet was the first thing to assail her senses, shortly followed by a loud crack in the living room to their right. A batarang was in Bruce's hand before the suitcases ever hit the ground, and aimed at the wizened old man that now shared space with them. It was unnerving to watch the Batman come through in full force, even while the suit was in a locked case that was now at their feet. Diana lowered her own fists , as she realized the man fit Zatanna's description of Headmaster Dumbledore.

"Impressive. Zatanna spoke very highly of you, but I must say I wasn't expecting this!"

"For future reference," She said with a relieved sigh, "It isn't a good idea to surprise a member of the Justice League."

"I had noticed that when I spoke with Zatanna," The old Headmaster nodded, "Unfortunately, there are some luxuries we simply can't afford these days. Forewarning seems to be one of them."

"Which is why you came to us for help." Bruce said replacing his weapon, but not relenting on his glare.

"Exactly," Dumbledore agreed, then stretched out his hand, "But first perhaps we should introduce ourselves properly, instead of relying on a third person acquaintance? My name is Albus Dumbledore, First order of Merlin, and the Headmaster of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Neither of the two heroes spoke, despite the man's seemingly honest intentions. Both were in disguise, and Diana didn't wear a mask even while she was in costume, but divulging their identities to someone outside of the League was a stumbling point they were not willing to cross. Dumbledore sighed and dropped his hand apologetically, sensing the obvious problem.

"I realize the reason for your hesitation, but by whatever means you will believe, I am not here to ruin yourselves or the cause you stand for," Dumbledore said drawing himself up to his full height, "I need your help, and will not take it by blackmailing you."

Bruce held his stare a moment longer, while the Headmaster obligingly remained under his scrutiny. Then without warning, Bruce extended his own hand.

"Bruce Wayne," He said keeping his voice devoid of emotion, "C.E.O. of Wayne Enterprises and also known as the founding member of the Justice League, Batman."

A thin smile crept onto Dumbledore's face as he shook Bruce's hand with earnest, before turning to Diana.

"Diana, Princess of Themyscira and the founding member Wonder Woman." She introduced herself with all the grace of a diplomat.

"An absolute pleasure," The Headmaster said, "To both of you. Now we can get to work. I have arranged teaching jobs for the both of you at Hogwarts. Mr. Wayne, you will be one of our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers."

"One?" Came the questioning reply.

"Yes, one teacher has already been appointed to handle the magical aspect of the class," Dumbledore said, "However, you are a muggle and have bested some our world's most notorious magic users. Passing on those skills to our students could only benefit them in the coming times."

Bruce nodded in agreement, then raised an eyebrow in mild amusement as he played back the old man's words.

"You said the other teacher was 'appointed'," He observed, "Not hired."

"Unfortunately yes," Dumbledore sighed, trying to hide the irritation in his voice, "Our Ministry has been working hard to discredit me after I brought news of Voldermort's return to their attention. They refuse to believe he could have returned, and have sent someone to no doubt 'keep an eye on me'."

"How foolish…" Diana shook her head, "Burring their heads in the sand instead of taking action while they still have the chance."

"Sadly my dear, not everyone has the experience you and your League does, and fear can be a strong motivator to cause people to look the other way and repeat the mistakes of our past," The Headmaster said, "Which brings me to your new occupation. We've added a new Ancient History class along with History of Magic. Perhaps you could share with the students what you know of the ancient world?"

"I would be honored," Diana smiled, "But people these days are far more accepting of what they read in history books, rather than a true account of the same events."

"I think you may find the students to be a bit more open than most people," Dumbledore winked at her, "Now shall we move on to your true reason for being here?"

"Let's start with what we should be looking for," Bruce said, switching back over to full Dark Knight mode, " Zatanna gave us enough background before we left the Watchtower, but we could use some specifics. A spell, artifact-"

"We aren't sure what Lord Voldermort is looking for," Dubledore said sadly, "He isn't following his normal pattern of attack. He's being….quiet."

"Which means _he's _looking for something, and needs more time to find whatever it may be," Diana said thoughtfully,

"Or he's already found it, and needs more time to get to it." Bruce added, "Are there any of his old contacts still around, someone close to him?"

"Far too many for my liking," Dumbledore sighed, "However, you won't get very far going after him directly. We've found over the years, that it is best to let him come to us."

Dumbledore strode over to the nearest window and pulled the curtain aside to let in the view of the street outside. They could see a scraggly teenager arguing with a large, red-faced man through a window, before turning on his heels and walking away at a brisk pace.

"His name is Harry Potter," Dumbledore said watching him until he was out of sight, "And the object of Lord Voldermort's fixation."

"He wants revenge." Diana surmised, "So it's a good bet he'll come after him here."

"And then we can track whoever tries to attack him," Bruce said heaving his suitcase onto a pile of boxes, "We'll keep a close eye on him incase this Voldermort tries to attack before the start of the term. Anything else we should know about?"

"Just be careful," Dumbledore said taking a step back, "There's new players in this game of his now, and he does not like surprises."

And then with a final bow, another crack echoed in the empty room, and the Headmaster vanished leaving Bruce and Diana alone once more. The two stared at the spot where Dumbledore had been standing for a brief moment, before Bruce turned to the case and dialed in it's combination. It opened with a satisfying 'snick', revealing black Kevlar, and a golden tiara laying inside.

"Shall we get started then?"

----

"I don't know how you do it Batman," Wonder Woman sighed after watching the same spot for what felt like hours. Waiting wasn't her strong point; she very much preferred to tackle a problem head-on, but had learned over the years that subtlety was usually the way to go. Even so, the wig she wore to re-disguise her new look itched incessantly, only adding to her restlessness.

"Years of practice Princess," Batman said, not bothering to remove the night-vision binoculars from his eyes, "When you don't have super strength, or magical bracelets you tend to air on the side of caution before running into a fight. Finding your opponent's weakness is always the first priority."

She stifled the sigh that threatened to escape her lips, as she resumed her watch on the disgruntled Potter boy as he sat on an old swing set. Even though she tried to focus on what she was doing, she couldn't help but let her mind drift back to the last time she and Batman had been alone on a similar stakeout. Granted, it hadn't taken the turn she had hoped for, but she did owe Circe for giving her a glimpse of the man Batman could be, if only he would let himself. But she knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon; the man had an entire fortress of shadows and Kevlar built around himself.

"_Maybe he has a point though," _She though to herself, _"Everyone has a weakness, perhaps I just need to find his…."_

Before she could take the though any further though, the sounds of loud obnoxious boys reached her ears as the rounded the corner and into sight. They certainly seemed to have caught Harry's attention, but the group paid him no heed as they continued down the road boasting about their latest ventures. Harry seemed to have decided that it was time to head home as well, and got up and followed after the group.

It didn't take much longer before the little group disbanded and headed their separate ways into the night.

"Come on," Batman said slipping off of the roof, like the shadows he concealed himself with.

Wonder Woman flew inches behind him, flying rather than running to keep up in order to stay as quiet as possible. It also gave her a better vantage point, to keep tabs on their new charge as they followed him through the night. Soon enough, they heard Harry catch up to one of the boys and began to follow him in the direction of his home. They could just hear the sounds of a muted conversation, but no definite words or enough to hear what they were talking about as the boys turned into an alley. Not without getting closer anyway, which was out of the question. They were just here to observe and protect, not eavesdrop. But then the voices grew louder with a clear tone of anger in them, and the two had stopped moving looking as if they were about to square off.

"Should we stop them?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Not our problem." Batman's voice said from the darkness.

Wonder Woman resigned herself to watching the conflict unfold, as the voices grew steadily louder. Harry seemed to finally had enough of whatever they were arguing about, and pulled a long thin stick and pointed it right at the other boy's heart. The boy was obviously terrified of it, and backed up into the alley's wall to get as far away from it as he could. They were both still bellowing at each other, when all of a sudden the night around them seemed to change.

Ice seemed to creep along Wonder Woman's spine, until it had encased her from head to toe, even though the night had been scarcely cooler than the day before it. The sky above became a solid black shroud that smothered the lights in the heavens, and extinguished the comforting glow of the streetlamps on the road below. Her eyes opened wide, trying to catch any sort of light that would help to give her some bearing on her surroundings. But all she could see was the suffocating darkness, and the biting cold that seemed to run through to her very soul. Then from somewhere in the blackness, she could hear long, shuddering breaths that seemed to be trying to draw more than just air into their lungs. Vaguely she was aware of the boy's panicked voices, until Batman's voice called out through the veil.

"Diana! On your right!"

Completely trusting the Dark Knight, Wonder Woman spun in the air, and lashed out with her fist and connected with something that felt more dead than alive. In the same instant, a light flared on below and she caught the first glimpse of her attacker. It was a towering figure with no face and cloaked from head to toe in ragged black robes, floating effortlessly on the night and continuing to suck in deep raspy breaths as it drew near again.

She had the fleeting feeling she had seen these demons before, but was quickly jarred back to the present, as Batman surged forward from behind her, and crashed into the thing sending them both over the roof. It was nearly impossible to tell who was the monster and who was the man, as the two crashed into the ground on the other side of the alley. Batman rebounded quickly rolling to his feet, only to find the living shadow rushing towards him, with two ghostly pale hands outstretched in front of it. A batarang was in his hand in a heartbeat, but Wonder Woman plowed into the thing from above, driving it into the ground before he got the chance to throw it. That seemed to be the end of it, as it turned into a thin black mist that surrounded the two for a brief moment, before disappearing into the darkness.

"How did you see that thing coming?" Wonder Woman asked, trying to calm herself, "I was blind up there!"

"Heat-sensor lenses," The bat replied, tapping the side of his cowl next to his eyes, "Really it was the lack of heat. Those things…whatever they are, are almost twenty degrees colder than the atmosphere around them. I didn't figure out that something was even there until it was on top of us."

As they spoke, the heat of the summer night began to creep back to them, and lights sparked back to life one by one around them. A new voice echoed in the alley, fraught with worry and anxiety. The two heroes vanished back into the shadows, as an older woman ran for Harry, helping him lift the other boy to his feet. For now, there was nothing more they could do, but to return home and examine the events of the night. Dumbldore had been right; this Dark Wizard was not one to be trifled with, but if they were going to stop him in time, then these new demons were only the doorholders to a world they knew next to nothing about.

----

Gotc: So we got a little action finally going in this chapter! Hope you all liked, sorry it wasn't longer, but there will be more coming up. Anyway, as you can tell this chappie was more from Diana's POV, and I will be trying to alternate between our two heroes, so keep reading and keep those reviews coming! Laters!


	5. FirstAid

Gotc: And by popular demand, I give you all chapter 5!!!

Ace: (Deadpan) Yay…..

Gotc: I'm seriously considering getting you some Prozac….

Ace: Trivializing everything you do is my joy in life. Deal with it.

Gotc: Rather than justify that depressing statement, I'm just gonna move onto the fic. Squeaky!!!

Squeaky: Squeak! (Nope, still don't own it. Hope you enjoy it anyway!)

Gotc: That we do! Now read on into the world that is this fic!

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_Harry Potter and the League of the Phoenix_

CHAPTER 5: First-aid

Only the sound of fluttering fabric echoed in the deserted halls, as two figures crossed the stone floors that had been worn smooth by generations of travel. Flickering torchlight cast warped shadows across the walls, that seemed to writhe and twist of their own accord. High in the rafters, a transparent figure drifted loftily past, as raised voices carried to the ceiling.

"Albus, you do realize what lengths the Minister will go to when he realizes what we've done!" A female voice argued from beneath a set of emerald green robes.

"There isn't much more Fudge can do to me at this point, Minerva" The much calmer voice of Dumbledore reasoned, pushing through another set of doors.

"Dumbledore, the man will try and take your _birthday_ before this is over!"

The last set of heavy oaken doors swung out, opening out to the still summer's night. The air hung heavy around them, as the two crossed the rapidly dampening grass. The stars were cast a pale light from the sky above, while the moon shone with a ghastly pallor. Whatever thin breeze did stir the world around them, rustled through the trees like spirits whispering an unheard warning through time. Evil walked in the shadows this night, and had struck while their minds had been turned on a different front.

"Then I suppose it's a good thing the Ministry doesn't control who they put on chocolate frog cards, eh?" Dumbledore chuckled, as he came to a stop on the furthest edge of the castle's grounds, "Look after things while I'm gone. I think I've convinced the Minister for now to delay trying Mr. Potter for a few weeks until we can plan our next move."

"You know he'll want to come here once he's through with the red tape," Minerva sighed, "The Order can wait until morning-"

"Perhaps," Dumbledore nodded, "But, Fudge may not see it that way, and Alastor is suspicious of our new associates. The sooner the Order knows about them, and they about the Order, the better shape we'll be in. Besides, you always were better with the diplomacy than I was."

Dumbledore winked once at the deputy Headmistress, before vanishing into the night and leaving her standing alone on the grass. A defeated sigh escaped her lips, as she idly cleaned her glasses on the hem of her robes before tuning back to the castle.

"I do hope you're right about this Albus….."

------

Diana pulled back the curtain another fraction of an inch, to peer at the house across the street for what felt like the millionth time that evening. The only light in the room, came from the glowing blue monitor that kept a vigilant eye on the perimeter Batman had the forethought to set up around the neighborhood. His body was silhouetted against the monitor, cowl pulled back to better look at the screen in front of him.

In his mind, he kept replaying the fight that had taken place less than an hour before, making a mental note every time to thank Zatanna for the enchantment that allowed him to even see the creatures coming. Granted, the special lenses in his cowl _had_ helped, but he prefered to see the world in full, living color if he could help it. He could still hear the monster sucking in those rattling breaths, as if it had been trying to draw something more than air into its body. He could still feel the piercing cold that had seeped past his Kevlar defenses and straight through to his very soul. He could still see that sallow, skeletal hand reaching out to catch Diana in it's unshakeable grip….

Bruce shook his head to chase the image from his mind. They had more important things to worry about right now rather than his own personal hang-ups. Automatically, his fingers flew across the keyboard in front of him pulling up any information that could be even remotely helpful in identifying their attackers. Most of the searches pulled up useless information, Lord of the Rings fansites, cult blogs, even webpages dedicated to proving that the dark hooded figures were aliens sent to bestow great knowledge upon mankind. He wanted to laugh at that last one, but then he wasn't really one to talk since one of the men he actually trusted with his life had green skin and could shape shift into any form that happened to interest him.

All in all, he came up with next to nothing, and resorted to a case full of tomes and books Zatanna had insisted that they bring with them in case they would be of any use. Methodically separating the books into stacks, Bruce selected the one that seemed most relevant and started to scan over its yellowing pages.

"Another owl just landed at Potter's house," Diana commented, sliding the curtains back into place without ruffling them, "We must not be the only ones that know about those things."

"Apparently not," Bruce said touching his finger to a line of particularly interesting text, "Listen to this: _If man fears what he cannot see, then it is the wraiths, the dementors, that haunt his waking nightmares. Nightriders and Soulstealers, monsters that lurk in the deepest corners of our consciousness', waiting for the chance to plunge man into the depths of his own despair. Creatures that exist for no other reason than to leave their pray hollow and utterly hopeless._"

Diana got to her feet and leaned over Bruce's shoulder as he read. He prayed she didn't notice every muscle in his shoulders tense, as her arm brushed against his. Even through the Kevlar, he could feel her feather light touch dance briefly across his skin, before she turned the tome to get a better look at the creature's illustration.

"It looks like something straight from one of Wally's horror movies," She said distastefully, "But it does bear resemblance to the thing that attacked us. It sounds like these 'dementors' have quite a reputation. Hollow and hopeless….They sound like your sort of people, Bruce."

There was a hint of laughter on her voice as she spoke, but Bruce simply chose to ignore it. Despite what others thought, or how much Clark said it was bad for him, he prided himself on the control he held over his own emotions. It kept him from making decisions he knew he'd regret, and so far, it had kept him alive. He marked the book, and tossed it back onto the pile and reached for the next. A muscle suddenly spasmed painfully in his lower back, as he overextended his reach further than he'd meant to. A quick groan managed to escape his lips before he could adjust. Diana must have heard it too, judging by the way she now watched him with all the scrutiny of a mother hen.

"Bruuuce….." Came the chiding voice.

"I'm fine," He growled back, turning away.

The delicate feather hand that had brushed against his arm was suddenly replaced with one made of steel that took a firm hold of his shoulder and spun him around to face her. Her lips were drawn into a thin line, and her sapphire eyes silently chided him for being so stubborn. She was close enough for him to smell the fragrant mix of the sea and island breeze that rolled off of her to tickle his nose.

"Take it off," She sighed, poking him in the bat-insignia emblemized on his chest, before leaving the room.

"What?" He asked, mildly surprised.

"The shirt," She said, calling out from the kitchen where he could hear water running, "I need to see how bad you've hurt yourself this time, and I don't have Clark's x-ray vision."

"I'm fine Princess," Bruce retorted, "I've had worse."

"I'm sure," She said rolling her eyes, as she reentered the room with a bowl of steaming water.

Her eyes locked with a bat-glare that would have had the bravest of the League diving off of the Monitor Womb balcony to escape. But Diana had always been another story. Bruce blamed it on her being raised on an island with no men, even though in furthest reaches of his mind, he knew exactly why her gaze never wavered. Seeing no winner in their stalemate, she set the bowl down on a nearby table, and folded her arms across her chest.

"Please?"

"I'm fine."

"Isn't modesty a misguided trait of this world's _women?_" Diana mocked, leaning against the table with one hand on her hip, "It's nothing I haven't seen before. After all, when was the last time you actually wore a shirt when we sparred?"

"Are we sparring now?" Bruce countered.

"That's up to you," She said, a devilish grim tugging at the corners of her mouth.

With a resigned sigh, Bruce tugged at the clasp of his cape, detaching it and letting it fall too the floor. The shirt quickly followed, landing in a crumpled heap of spandex and Kevlar. Satisfied, Diana switched on a table lamp, before kneeling down to examine her patient. The source of Bruce's pain wasn't hard to miss. An ugly bruise on his right lower back was already starting to turn an angry shade of purple. Diana gently touched the edges where the skin had taken on a greenish hue. Instantly, his battle scarred skin drew taut under her fingers.

"Bruce, relax," She said, "I won't be able to tell how bad it is if you don't."

"I _am_ relaxed. Your hands were cold."

Diana shook her head, but pressed on. Bruce did relax, if only marginally, as she methodically pressed the skin around thee forming bruise. Working with expert care, she slowly worked her way inwards, testing the extent of the damage. Occasionally, he could have sworn he could feel her fingers linger on one spot, but it was always so fleeting, he could never quite be sure. It seemed like ages, before she replaced her fingers with a warm cloth.

"There's no damage to the kidney," She said holding the cloth there for a moment, "But you are going to be sore."

"That's nothing new," Bruce shrugged.

"What happened anyway?" Diana asked, "I watched you and that thing go over the roof-"

"It landed on top of me," Bruce said quickly, "I must have landed on a rock or some trash in the alley."

For a moment, neither said a word. Diana just held the rag against Bruce's side, warming it when nessesary.

"You don't have to do this you know," Bruce said at last

"You didn't have to tackle that thing for me on the roof either,"

"We've been over this, Diana," He said keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead, "I'm expendable."

She didn't speak, but only moved his hand so that he could hold the rag for himself. Her hand rested on his, as she looked him in the face.

"Then I'll be here to see that you last as long as possible."

------------

Gotc: Yeah……..kinda fluffy, but who doesn't like the fluff? Anyway, sorry for the delay in posting, I got sorta hung up, but now that I got this out of my system, we can move on to the good stuff! Well, my internet's starting to ice over, but hopefully I'll be able to post again soon! Remember to R&R and I'll se you all later!


	6. Whispering Nightmares

Gotc: Phew….College has officially consumed my entire being.

Ace: As opposed to spending all of your time on the computer?

Gotc: You only like it because I'm never home anymore!

Ace: Yes, the silence has been oh so nice!

Gotc: Jerk….Anyway, I finally found some time to finish this chapter for you all in between papers. Read carefully, there's a hint somewhere in here…..But I'll not tell you where, cause then you won't read, so SQUEAKY!!!

Squeaky: Squeak! (Still no ownage here, but feel free to take Ace.)

Ace: HEY!!

Gotc: Stop complaining and just be glad I still decide to feed you. BTW: There's some spoilers for "The Once and Future Thing". Now ON TO THE FIC!!

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_Harry Potter and the League of the Phoenix_

CHAPER 6: Whispering Nighmares

A thin light shone through a perpetual haze of dust and smoke. Stone walls and crumbling mortar glimmered dully in the flicking light, while hushed, urgent voices reverberated against them. An old wooden table occupied the majority of the space in the room, while every chair surrounding it was filled with arguing people.

"We should have never brought them into this! It's bad enough You-Know-Who is after us, but if they die, then so will the rest of their friends!" A wiry haired man argued from one end of the table

"The Justice League are peace-keepers," A red-headed witch snapped back, "They put their lives on the line everyday for complete strangers!"

"But those people they save aren't trying to kill them either! Dementors attacked Potter _and _them."

"They could have just been in the way; bystanders. They attacked Harry's cousin too," A man with a scraggly black beard and matching unkempt hair pointed out.

"Perhaps, if they hadn't attacked the same day they moved into the neighborhood," Another man with wispy grey hair said calmly, "We have to consider the possibility that Voldermort knows who we've involved in this. But at the same time, it could be nothing more than a coincidence, in which case we should jump at the opportunity. He's moving faster, striking where Harry should be the safest, that means he must be close to whatever he's looking for and wants the one threat he has to be out of the way."

"Then Harry's not safe with the muggles anymore," The bearded man sighed.

"Safe, just not quite as much as we were hoping him to be," A reasonable voice spoke from the table's head.

Everyone else fell silent, and turned towards the man they all deemed their leader. Both hands were folded in front of his half moon spectacles, while his eyes were staring at something far beyond the constricting walls of the room. Dumbledore rose slowly to his feet, unfolding his hands and planting them firmly on the table in front of him. He looked at each person sitting at the table, all waiting expectantly for what he had to say.

"We will need to move Potter here, preferably before his trial. Alastor, start looking at potential routes to get him here that will keep us out of sight and him out of danger," He said running through a mental check-list, "Sturgis, I'll need you to keep a close watch on the Department of Mysteries. We'll also need to keep an exceedingly close eye on our young Mr. Potter, but I think our new friends will take care of that."

"Albus," The Red-headed witch interrupted, "How much have you told them?"

"Enough for them to do what they need to without exposing them to the entire wizarding world at once."

"Which means next to nothing at all," A gnarled old wizard said, as an unnatural eye swiveled to look at the Headmaster, "It's been my experience that only knowing part of the truth can be more dangerous than knowing nothing at all. And if they are anywhere near as good as what the rest of the world thinks they are, they'll already know we're hiding more from them than what we've said."

"And it could be just as dangerous for them to know the whole story," The red-head argued back, "But how much can we really tell them? Fudge is already going to be positively livid when he finds out we've told muggles about all of this; I mean, we could all wind up in Azkaban."

"Their minds could always be wiped later Molly," The wispy haired man said, "And it's really not so much a matter of them being able to protect themselves-"

"So you're suggesting we just tell the Minister that we've asked the Justice League for help?!" She exclaimed, "We _know _You-Know-Who has his spies deeply rooted in the Ministry! If he would find out that the muggles do belong to the League, he'll start attacking muggles too just to draw them into this war!"

Dumbledore sighed, and carefully polished his glasses on the hems of his robes, before replacing them back on the bridge of his nose.

"We are playing in a great balancing act," He sighed, "Tip the scales a little, and it could be enough to even everything out. But push them too far the other way, and our world as we know it could come crashing down around us. We'll tell them as much as we can, but for now, anything else they'll need to discover for themselves. It's the best way to avoid more conflict with the Ministry and not incriminate ourselves at the same time. I just fear it will cost us in the long run…"

-----

_Bruce had been having nightmares almost every night of his life since the night Joe Chill fired his gun at his parents. The only exceptions were the nights he worked through, or had to be put out due to some injury. He was familiar with the cold chill that surrounded him, and the darkness that squeezed out all else. But this was different. This wasn't a nightmare; it was hell._

_The alley was the same as ever; cold, dirty and littered with trash and refuse. He'd walked it a thousand times on his nightly patrols as Gotham's fearless protector, and thousands more in his dreams as a frightened eight-year-old boy, but tonight it felt strange and alien. Unintelligible whispers drifted on a nonexistent breeze, surrounding and encompassing the Dark Knight. The familiar forms of his parents were no where in sight, nor was the menacing form of their killer. The black sky seemed to have taken on a blood red haze, and the bite of the December air ran straight through to his core. Screams split the night behind him, as the entire city was suddenly lit ablaze. Blazing flames towered high to lick the pallid stars above, while people went screaming by as thousands of moving shadows all descended upon them like packs of ravenous wolves. He could hear their screams drowned out by the sounds of the demons forced breathing ringing in his ears._

_Suddenly, a small noise came from the alley, and Bruce whirled around to meet it. Diana stood before him, her eyes wide with fear as she looked at him. Confused, he tried to step forward, but she only stepped back, determined to keep the distance between them the same. His lips began to form the question, when the sound of glass crunching under his boot caught his attention. A shattered mirror cast a broken view of the world back up at him, as well as a spreading patch of dark red coming through his armor. Unbelieving, he touched the growing spot, only to find his fingers slick with blood. He looked back up at Diana to see her look at him with absolute terror, as she started backing further away from him. He couldn't seem to find his voice, so instead he reached out to her, begging in any way he could manage for her not to leave. But as he stretched out his hand, he could feel the warmth leave his body. His billowing cape seemed to come alive and wrapped him in its folds like a cloak, and the last thing he could hear was the sound of his own raspy breathing, sucking the night air into lungs that wanted something more…._

Bruce jolted awake and sat straight up, a cold sweat pouring off of him in torrents. Wide-eyed, he scanned the darkened room, only to find the stacks of boxes, and dawn's first glow staring to form on the horizon. An unsteady sigh heaved from his lips, as he set his head in his hands and rubbed them through his sopping hair. A shiver ran through his body, and he nearly attacked the curtains, had the hot water bottle Diana had wedged under him not fallen to the floor with a wet flop.

Irritated with himself for being shaken so easily, he tossed the bottle onto a nearby box, and sat back on he couch. There were no other noises in the house, which meant Diana hadn't heard him, and for that he was grateful. Weird enough things were already happening; he didn't want to have to explain the nightmares too.

"_You might sleep better if you could actually talk to someone about them." _His inner voice reasoned.

"_It's not her problem to deal with," _The Bat argued back

"_It's never anyone's problem only because you insist on pushing everyone as far away from you as possible." _Came the scoffing reply

"_It's safer for everyone this way."_

"_Yeah, that's noble, but who are you really protecting? Them? Or yourself?"_

"_I'm protecting Diana. Even if it would work between us, she's still an immortal and I'm not. Yes, maybe we'd be happy for a while, we could be in love, but one day I'd die and leave her and I'd still end up hurting her all the same. It's just better for everyone."_

"_You're hurting her now by pushing her away. You'll deny both of the life you could be having, and both be miserable? __That's__ better? Besides, just how long do you think you really have with her? You remember Chronos."_

Bruce felt his chest tighten at the very memory. It had been hard enough hearing Warhawk describe the events that had lead to her death, but it had been like a piece of his soul had been ripped from his heart when she vanished before his eyes.

"_Besides,"_ His inner voice continued, _"She has feelings for you, just like you do for her, no matter how deep you try to bury them. But dying's inevitable, and you're going to hurt her, relationship or not. The only difference is by trying to make it work, you'd give her something to hold onto after you're gone. Otherwise, you'll just leave her broken hearted and she will hate you for it."_

With a frustrated growl, Bruce shook his head and let his body take over his usual morning routine, while he let his mind fantasize about just what life might be like….

That's how Diana found him three hours later, pushing himself through his exercises, with his eyes glazed over and far off. At least until she walked into the room. His attention snapped to her, never one to be caught off guard, no matter how deep in thought he may have been.

"How long have you been up?" She asked leaning against the doorframe, as he grabbed a towel to mop the sweat from his forehead.

"A couple of hours," He said, "It's midnight in Gotham right now anyway. Why are you up so early?"

"Jet lag, I suppose," Diana said walking into the kitchen, "Even the Watchtower kept some sort of normalcy with the time changes. This just hurts."

"Having trouble getting you're beauty sleep Princess?" He snipped back, unable to keep the grin from forming on his face.

"You have no idea," She laughed back. God, that was a sound he could listen to for the rest of his life.

Bruce followed her into the kitchen where she was rummaging through several boxes, vainly trying to find enough utensils to make breakfast.

"Even if you did manage to find the skillet Princess," Bruce pointed out, "We were a little too busy to go grocery shopping."

"Alright then," She said leaning against the counter and folding her arms, "We're in an unfamiliar city, purposely cut off from the rest of the League, looking for a madman who has spectral apparitions of Death after a fifteen year-old and have nothing here for breakfast. What do you suggest?"

Just then, there was a sharp tapping on the window over the sink. Both instinctively moved to either side of the window, carefully keeping out of anyone's possible line of vision, before ripping the curtains open. A small tawny owl was perched on the ledge outside, with a scrap of paper held securely in it's beak. IT looked at the two humans inside with a thoroughly quizzical stare, as Bruce gently opened the latch and let the bird inside. However, it only dropped it's note into his hand and turned abruptly around and flew out of sight.

"What was that about?" Diana asked, glancing out the window to make sure no one had seen.

"It's an address," Bruce said reaching for his discarded cowl, "How about breakfast in London?"

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Gotc: A bit more fluff there, but we're getting into the meat of the fic now! Did anyone see the hint? Sorry for the chapter delay but writter's block can be a real-

Ace: Mind your ratings.

Gotc: Whatever, anyway remember to review and maybe next time I'll tell you where our favorite duo is headed to next! Laters!


	7. A Chink in the Armor

Gotc: Yeah…..….sorry.

Ace: You should be ashamed.

Gotc: You're only mad cause I've been too busy to feed you.

Ace: Yeah. That's a big part of it. By the way, I ate your Bio term paper.

Gotc: YOU WHAT?!?!?!?!

Ace: Hey, look at it this way, now we're even.

Gotc: Oh no. We'll be even when I-

Squeaky: Squeak….(Yeah, I'm gonna jump in now and save our ratings/copyright infringement. We don't own anything here, the plot could possibly be called ours, but I would probably deny that in a lawsuit if it kept me out of prison. Go steal something else. Diamonds maybe. Now go enjoy your fic.)

_Harry Potter and the League of the Phoenix_

CHAPTER 7: A Chink in the Armor

Diana had to bite back the frustrated growl she felt rising in her throat. How she wished, and not for the last time, to be back in her armor again and done with the disguises. They could have been in London in a matter of minutes, but Bruce had insisted that they take a cab.

"It's good for you Princess," He had said with an amused smile, "Think of it as a lesson in patience. Not everyone can fly everywhere you know."

"Says the man with his own personal fleet of jets..." Diana had grumbled resentfully as she climbed into the cramped backseat.

She could have sworn that she heard a chuckle come from his general vicinity, but before she could confirm her suspicions he climbed into the car and gave the cabby the address. It was nerve wracking being so close to him. They were both trying to give each other their space, both looking out opposite windows at the London scenery as it passed by.

As an Amazon, Diana had spent most of her life training for combat, conditioning her body and mind to stay focused. But _Hera…_ How was she supposed to focus on anything when she could practically smell him? His aftershave seemed to permeate what little air was actually in their cramped quarters, but she could still detect the rubbery undertone of his Kevlar armor that still clung to him, even though his suit was locked away in the trunk. Now that she actually thought about it, whenever the suit _was_ on, it was usually the opposite.

That got her thinking, who was Bruce Wayne? True, by day he was Gotham's prince and illustrious playboy and by night he was the city's silent protector, but who was he when the façades didn't need to be up? Out of the corner of her eye, she stole a sidelong glance at her companion as he continued to occupy himself with looking out the window. The sandy brown hair and green contacts were a step up from the cowl and opaque white lenses, but however thin a disguise it was to her, it was still enough to for him to hide behind.

Her eyes drifted down to his muscular jaw line, which was the only part of him he didn't or couldn't hide. The eyes were supposed to be the windows to the soul, or so Diana had heard in her time in Man's World. Bruce must have heard the phrase too, if how he guarded his emotions was anything to go by. But guarded as he was, he did still have a chink in that emotional armor; it was just funny how it was the only place without any physical armor.

That jaw, that mouth. It was how she had recognized him for the first time out of costume in Kasnia, as he asked for a dance. It was how a smile would tug ever so gently at the corners of his mouth. It was how a in a moment of panic and desperation, Diana could have almost felt his very soul as they shared a kiss in that tiny restaurant. She unconsciously sucked at her own bottom lip at the memory, as it replayed again in her mind. In the background she could hear his "reasons" why they could never be together, but it all seemed to point to absolutely nothing the instant her lips brushed against his…

"Diana?"

Bruce's voice snapped her out of her fantasy, as she realized the car had come to a stop outside a line of dingy and desolate old office buildings. Graffiti colored the walls with crude images and foreign symbols, while trash fluttered listlessly in the street. The cabby, who seemed rather anxious to leave, was hurriedly unpacking their things onto the sidewalk, and tapped his foot impatiently as Bruce handed him the money for their trip.

"Not exactly the most romantic vacation spot is it?" Diana remarked looking at their new surroundings, as the cab sped away.

"We're not here for a vacation Princess," Bruce reminded her, the gruff voice of the Bat returning.

Diana rolled her eyes. The man was like one of those villains in the cartoons Wally had made her watch. One mask would come off, and another would be waiting just underneath.

"No, but it never hurts to look around for places to go if Hades froze over and you actually did take one," She smirked.

Most of the offices surrounding the address were vacant, and looked as if they had been that way for some time. The windows along the lower levels were mostly broken out by vandals, but the higher ones on the higher floors were so dirty that it completely obscured the view in or out. While it was a realtor's nightmare, it certainly made the switch from civilian to hero a relatively simple one. They each chose a room and swapped their street clothes for their respective costumes, and as many parts as Batman's outfit seemed to comprise, he was still dressed and already surveying their target.

"You might want to work on getting dressed faster Princess," He taunted, "You wouldn't want to fall into the typical female stereotype…"

Diana didn't dignify him with a response, assuming it was payback for her earlier comment and instead knelt, what she hoped, was uncomfortably close to him. She could have worn she felt his form tense ever so slightly next to her, but if she was having any effect, he certainly wasn't about to let it be known.

"What's our move from here?" She asked.

"Normally, surveillance." Batman said pulling a gadget from his belt, "But that building has been abandoned for some time."

"So this was just a waste of time?"

"I said the building was abandoned Princess," The Dark Knight clarified, pointing down to a broken down old phone booth, "The whole thing's just a front."

Just as Diana was about to ask what a phone booth had to do with the building being abandoned, a woman wearing a horribly gaudy hat waddled up to the booth and shut herself inside. There was no way the phone could have possibly still worked, but the booth offered just enough privacy to keep them from seeing exactly what was taking place inside. Diana looked over at Batman, who was now staring intently at the screen in his hand, which showed a warm red blob of what appeared to be a human body. Suddenly, the blob vanished from the screen, only to leave behind faint green splotches that were rapidly fading into nothing.

"What happened to her?" Diana asked, alarmed at the sudden disappearance.

"Teleported." Came the brisk reply

"What? How?" She demanded, "The League's supposed to be the only one with that kind of technology."

"True, but I wouldn't exactly put it past Luthor or Cadmus to develop it on their own," Batman pointed out, "So it's not a huge stretch of the imagination to assume these wizards have something similar in place."

He had a point, and now that she thought about it, she could vaguely recall Zatana mentioning something about the old Headmaster using some kind of magic to teleport up to the Watchtower in the first place.

"Any ideas on how to follow them if they're teleporting?" She asked, "We could always contact J'onn-"

"That's breaking protocol." Batman replied tersely, "We have a communication freeze for a reason. We have to assume that we're being tracked even as we're tracking them. Any contact whatsoever could endanger the League and ourselves."

"I don't think you give the League enough credit Batman," Diana said coolly.

"No. But I've also made the mistake of underestimating my opponents enough to know what their capable of before I start making assumptions about what they can and can't do."

"Then how do you propose we get in?"

Batman turned away to reach behind him and grab the bag that had held his costume. He rummaged around in it for a moment, before he pulled out a small bluish crystal that seemed to glow faintly in his palm.

"Zatana gave me a few things before we left," He explained, producing several miniscule disks covered in eloquent runes from the bag as well, "These disks are supposed to absorb magic used to cast a spell, then transfer it to the crystal for us to use. We just need to attach it to someone before they pull their vanishing act."

"I have to say Batman," Diana smirked reaching for one of the little disks, "I'm impressed. You've thought of everything."

"You don't have to think of everything Princess. Just be prepared for it."

"I'll bet you'd make an even better boy scout than Clark…"

A triumphant smirk spread across her face, as he aimed one of his signature glares at her. He knew it had no effect on her, so instead he placed the crystal and several of the disks in one of his belt compartments, before stashing the bags they had brought with them. Diana was right behind him as he got to his feet, and readied a grappling hook.

"Let's go catch a wizard."

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Gotc: I think I need to work on making these longer, but for now, these essays are stealing my creative process. Darn you education! Anyway, I apologize again for the wait. Summer's just on the horizon, so hopefully I'll be writing lots more for you all to read! Remember to review and I'll see you all next chappie!


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